It’s hard to believe this school year is over. Although it was a tough year I loved every minute of it. I learned a lot and had fun at the same time. I was able to improve my writing skills, learn video and graphic design and also learn some photoshop. I am however, glad that this year is over.

A lot of good things happened for me this year. Things I never dreamed would happen. Such as going to the different news stations and meeting and networking with industry professionals. Also, I really enjoyed getting a behind the scenes look at how things are done at the TV studios.

One thing I’m looking forward to this summer is attending the South Asian Journalists Association’s (SAJA) global convention at Columbia University’s School of Journalism. I am sure it will be a very informative and helpful experience. One of the workshops i’m looking forward to attending is “Social Media Skills for Journalists” by Sree Sreenivasan, Columbia’s dean of student affairs. Also, another thing I will be doing is visiting the WABC studio in NY with a few other students.

I am really looking forward to next year as I am one of the editors for the Arts & Entertainment section for Cabrini‘s award winning newspaper, The Loquitur. I will be on the look out for stories for the first two issues of the newspaper since editors have to write two stories each for both. Also, I am excited to be working on graphics for LOQation next semester. In the mean time, I will be keeping busy working all summer.

As college students we all tend to procrastinate, especially with so many things going on around us. As you get deeper into your field of study or focal area, you start to have more responsibilities and more projects that needs to get done on a deadline. This may at times seem overwhelming.

Whether you are focused on writing, video or any other field of study, the more you get involved the heavier the work load. It may seem like a lot but there are many ways to accomplish your goals without having added stress. The key to doing this is Time Management. Now, I’ve been told several times that I motivate others to do their work. So here are some helpful tips on how you can accomplish your goals easily.

1. Set goals each day

When you set a goal each day to accomplish something, more than likely you will achieve it. The best way to do this is to map out a schedule each day. While many people like to make a mental note of things, I prefer to write them down. This way you won’t forget about anything. Not only that, I believe when you write things down you are more likely to remember them.

2. Don’t skip meals

Many times people get so caught up with doing their work that they forget to eat. In order for your body and brain to function it needs energy. Your body produces energy from the food we eat. If you don’t have energy it’s hard to stay focused.

3. Don’t procrastinate

If something needs to get done, don’t put it off for later. The faster you get one thing done the more time you have to complete all your other goals. It’s easy to get distracted but the more time you spend on completing a task the better the outcome rather than rushing through them.

These are just some of the things that help me accomplish my daily goals. For more helpful tips on how to use your time effectively check out a perspectives piece I wrote in The Loquitur.

“What is the most important thing you look for in a career?” is the one question I always get asked. My answer is “to be happy and enjoy my life.” The one thing I always hear, then is “you need to think about money, happiness doesn’t pay for a living.” Although it maybe true, you can’t buy happiness. In my book, if you enjoy what you do and are happy with your career then everything else will fall into place. So rather than just focusing on money, follow your dreams and strive to be happy.

How can you do that? First and foremost to achieve this really think about who or what inspires you the most. It can be a friend, a family member, or even reading, writing, or music . Then just go from there. For me, it was always writing, singing, drawing or anything I can do to showcase my creativity.

The next step is to then do what you love and follow your dream. With the economy down, I know jobs are hard to come by. However, is it worth living miserably everyday? Always remember anything is possible when you set your mind to it.

The most important thing to remember is DO NOT let others decide your life for you. Someone might want you to be in the medical profession because of your knowledge and a knack for helping others. While someone else might want you to be an engineer because you are good with your hands and can assemble things even without reading instructions. But is that what you really want to do?

Even if others think you shouldn’t be doing something but you want to do it, go for it. Believe in yourself because the world is filled with endless opportunities. Also, you have to live your own life others can’t live it for you.

Taking from my own personal life, I used to be a nursing major not by choice but more like an obligation. Why is that you ask? My mom wanted me to do one of two things either be a nurse or an engineer. Since she never got to study nursing, she wanted her dream to be fulfilled through me. I however, was miserable. I applaud those who are in the medical profession helping those in need, but I knew it wasn’t my place. I was always interested in the arts.

Then finally I decided to take charge of my own life and follow my dreams and applied to Cabrini College as a communication major. This was just a year ago and now not only do I enjoy school, I love every minute of it. With classes such as journalism, video, and graphic design where I can show my creativity, I know this is where I belong.

With that said, my advise to you is, “Never feel the need to live in regret and if there is something out there you love to do don’t be afraid to chase that dream.”

Today I had the great opportunity of visiting the CBS 3 studio. I met with Pat Ciarrocchi and got to watch the talk philly show being taped. It was truly an amazing experience.

The facilities available to the station includes two television studios, each with its own control room, a state-of-the-art Master Control room, an Operations Center and a weather deck for live outdoor weather reports. Other facilities include a green room for broadcast guests, make-up and dressing rooms, a Grand Hall for community gatherings, and a café for staff.

Today I went to the 10 show as Lu Ann’s guest. I scheduled an appointment with her to do my assignment for professional development, which was to do an information-gathering interview with someone who has a job in the field of communication. After the recording of the show was over she took me backstage and gave me a little tour of the building as well as introduced me to the 10! show production team. I got to see the studio as well as the newsroom where they put together the news that comes in.

Do you constantly email assignments to yourself? Are you always looking to see where you put your thumb drive (USB flash drive)? If so,then the answer is Dropbox.

I have been using dropbox since August to save all my important files, especially if i need to view it in multiple location. I find however, most people don’t know about this site. If you ask me, every college student especially should have a dropbox, it’s easy and convenient.

Dropbox can be used instead of a thumb drive or as a great source for back up system rather than spending a lot of money on an external hard drive. It’s free to get an account in dropbox and you can download it onto your computer as well as to your smartphone to sync files. Everything saved in the folder is also available on the dropbox website.

After signing up for dropbox, you can get additional free space up to 8GB by getting friends to sign up as well and for every 1 referral you get 250MB of bonus free space.

Two week ago in journalism we talked about Rockmelt, a new innovative web browser. Rockmelt works by integrating social media and web browser in one.

When you first get Rockmelt you sign on using your Facebook log in info and store it. Then once you’re in, on the right hand side you can plug in RSS feeds which lets you see updates. This way you don’t need to keep refreshing pages to see them.

Today I along with the Video Production class went to The 10! Show on NBC to be in the audience.

We entered the building at 9 a.m. and then were seated in the studio. Before getting started with the programming, one of the interns came up to me and asked if I would like to introduce the show and my answer was Yes! Then one of the stage directors came up to me and explained what he wants me to do and when to speak.

When they were ready to roll he had me stand up in the middle of the audience and cued me in to talk. We also got the opportunity to go into the control room and get a behind the scenes look at how everything is done.

At the end of the show we got to stay behind and ask questions as well as take pictures. We got some great advice. It was really great meeting Bill Henley and Lu Ann Cahn in person. Also, they as well as the rest of the production team told me I did a really great job introducing the show which was amazing to hear.

Today’s fine arts event was a performance by Karen Walwyn in the mansion from 3 to 5 pm. She is a pianist, recording artist and professor at Howard University.

As a child her parents had her learn the piano and do several recitals. Later, when it came for her to decide on a career path, she decided to continue what she already knew which is piano.

As an introduction, Dr. Walwyn played selections by Frédéric Chopin and then played her own composition “Reflections on 9/11″ inspired by the tragic events of that day. The piece is done in seven movements and each title represents the thoughts of each movement corresponding to the 9/11 attacks. The final of the seven movements represent hopefulness.

“Hopefully the piece captures some emotion and expressions of that period in time.” Walwyn said.

“Reflections on 9/11″ showcased a lot of tension and anguish. Her performance was breathtaking and really draws you into the music.

Today, I had the opportunity to go to a homeless shelter to do an interview for the Loquitur. I have to say, seeing the condition in which these people have to live makes me very glad for my life.

Shelters have very limited resources available and they need help from different organizations to keep it running smoothly. Not only that, a large group of people have to share a limited amount of space each day.

We all complain of not getting our way majority of the time and don’t ever stop to think of the people who don’t have the luxuries we have. It is really great that there are shelters available for people to go to and that those in need have a safe house. My question is, what are you doing to help?

Coordinated Outreach Homeless Center, a shelter located in Norristown, PA, serves 60 to 65 people, that’s 180 meals per day. CHOC has 50 beds available in the shelter, they have outreach programs and they help people transition into homes, among other programs.

Cabrini’s dining services and Men’s Lacrosse team are holding a food drive that runs untill Nov. 15 for CHOC in preparation for the holidays and I urge everyone to take part in this food drive and donate non-perishable food for a great cause.